It has been 19 years since the release of their masterpiece 'Critical Beatdown' and 14 years since their last studio album 'The Four Horsemen'. Have they been hiding something to eclipse their previous classic albums, or should this have stayed a secret like 'Mo Love's Basement Tapes'?

Kool Keith said not to expect Critical Beatdown 2, he knew it would be impossible to recreate the classic album, so anyone looking for the old Ultra magic will be disappointed.
Keith always stole the show on the other albums and does even more so on this album. Not only does he have two solo songs 'Late Nite Rumble' and 'Underware Pissy', he produces FIVE tracks under the alias 'Underwear Pissy', each of which have the 'Lost Masters' sounds to them.
Keith always eclipsed Ced Gee on the mic, but on 'The Best Kept Secret' he totally destroys Ced. Ced sounds incredibly off on the mic and his new style/sound really puts a downer on the album; luckily his production prevents him from being a total whitewash.

The albums first single 'Party Started' is one of the albums low points, with uninspiring production, lyrics and delivery. Luckily the second single 'Mechanism Nice' is a huge step up and the sound is reminiscent of the old albums. The third single 'Late Nite Rumble' which is a complete (vocals and production) Kool Keith solo track is the standout track, it really sums up the whole album - the reunion is for the benefit of the other members and not for Kool Keith. Other tracks worth mentioning are 'Pop Bottles', 'Underwear Pissy', 'Silk Master' and 'Vibrato'.
The worst song on the album is easily 'Porno Star (Part 2)'. Ignoring the cheesy porno lyrics, Ced Gee sounds like anything but a porno star, the rhyme flow and delivery is horrible and very, very annoying.

Overall if your a fan of the Ultramagnetic MC's or Kool Keith then this album is worth having a look at, but the overall quality is far too low to win over any new fans.

5.5 /10

Track Listing

1. The Plaques

2. Late Nite Rumble

3. Mechanism Nice (Born Twice)

4. Ain't It Good To U

5. Super Spellbound

6. Pop Bottles

7. Nottz feat. Goody-2

8. Porno Star (Part 2)

9. Underwear Pissy

10. Party Started

11. War feat. Gee-Banga

12. Delta 2006

13. Silk Master

14. Vibrato